Finger-piece mounting for eyeglasses



C. M. HAYNES;

FINGER PIECE MOUNTING F OR EYEGLASSES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3. 1914.

1,345,488, PatenfedJulyG, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFrlcE.

CHARLES M. HAYNES, 0E VCHILLIGOTHE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'roAMERIcnN OPTICAL COMPANY, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION- OF MASSACHUSETTS.

FiNGER-PIECE MoUivTING Eon EYEGLASSES. 1

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October a, 1914. Serial No. 864,837.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that'I, CHARLES M. I-IA NEs,

a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Ohillicothe, in the county of Ross and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Finger-Piece Mountings for Eyeglasses, of-which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In so-called fingerpiece mountings for eyeglasses as heretofore constructed, it has been exceedingly difficult to put the parts together. The parts are all minuteand no satisfactory or facile means have been devised to hold them in alinement While setting them up, particularly where repairs have been made. Theseparts consist of a fingerpiece lever with a pivot hole, (this hole alines with a threaded hole in the pivot seat on the bridge end), a coiled spring above the lever, and a threaded pivot post or screw. The spring surroundsthe post and has one end anchored on the lever and oneon the bridge connection. To set up this combination the lever is placed over the seat, its pivot hole matching the threaded hole in the seat; the spring is placed over the post, and the post inserted through the hole in the lever and into the threaded hole in the seat. All the parts have to aline. It is exceedingly diflicult to holdthe parts thus while driving home the screw. It often gets askew or out of line, and the threads are eitherv stripped or jammed or injured, reducing the durability of the device, if not totally destroying it. After the screw has been driven home it is necessary then to anchor the ends of the spring,a rather difficult operation in which the springs are often broken.

The chief object of my invention is to provide a fingerpiece mounting that will automatically hold the parts together in alinement before the screw post is applied,- thus avoiding any tendency to strip or strain the threads, and making the assembly of the parts a matter of ease and facility.

In removing and replacing the eyeglasses the wearer is very apt to put excessive pressure on the fingerpiece, thereby straining the parts, especially parts that are removably or detachably connected, aswith screws or the like. Moreover, the springsemployed are usually held in. place by screws, and. as breakage of Springs is not infrequent.

Patented July 6, 1920.

the necessary removal and, replacement ofglasses and the springs did not require renewal Further objects, therefore, of my invent on are to provide a fingerpiece mounting of a more durable type, which can withstand misuse fora considerable period, and to provide amounting in which such screws as may be employed are subjected to no greater stresses than they can easily sustain without injury, and to further provide a mounting in whichthe screws are not subected to any assembling or alining stresses, and which will also be free from operating stresses, the screw being out of contact with the operating parts, and the parts being alined independently of the" screw. Tothese and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features of construction and combination of elements hereinafter described.

Of the various constructions in which the invention can be embodied I have selected for'illustration and specific description herein the one that atl, the present timeis believed to exhibit the invention in its most convenient and effective form. This embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a front view,partly in vertical section. V V

Fig. 2 is aplan view.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank from which a part of the device is made.

preferably integral therewith. The lever 15, V I

which at its rear carries the nose-clip 16 and at its front is formed with a finger piece 17, is formed between its ends with an aperture surrounded by avertical sleeve 18. This sleeve, preferably integral with the lever,

that if the eye 22 is not toohigh on the' arm 12 there will be no special tendency for the spring to slip off the sleeve 18 even if the bent lower end of the spring is not' hooked under the finger-piece lever but merely bears on the front edge of the latter. ()n the contrary, to take the spring off the sleeve Without disengaging the upper end from the eye 22' would require no little force. Such removal would involve a pivotal movement ofthe entire spring upward about the eye 22 as a center, and inspection of the'; drawing will readily make it plain that such pivotal movement would entail more or :less expansion of the spring radially from its axis. It will therefore be seen that so long as the spring is unbroken and retains-its resiliency -(in short, so long as it is serviceable) there is not only no tendency for the spring to be displaced of its own accord,'but that its tendency is rather to resist displacement. There is thus no necessity'for any special spring-securing or fastening device so long as the spring is in serviceable condition; But if it should break, say between the hooked end 22 and the first coil and thus allow the eye-glasses to fall, the spring could slip off, followed by the finger piece lever 15. T0 prevent" suchresults I provide a screw 28, fitted into the top of the post 14 and having a head extending preferably over the top of the spring but at least far enough over the top of the sleeve 18 to hold the samein place if the spring should'break. The spring is preferably short, axially, so vas to exert no pressure on the screw-head. in which case therewould be no stress whatever exerted on f the sc'rewhead; ;'but even if a longer spring were used, so that it bore against the head, the stress would be rather inthe nature of an axial pull and would be resisted by all the turns of the thread. As such a stress is .the one that a screw is best adapted to withstand it will be seen that even in the '-"extreme case mentioned the screw is not V liable to be injured, especially if it fits the hole ti ghtlyand is well set in so as to resist unscrewing by the repeated fiexure of the 7 spring. In practice, however, I prefer to use a spring short enough to keep it practically out of contactwith the screwhead;

' Another important ,advantagejof the invention: flows froin the fact that' the presis exerted on the post 1 1-at a point where the latter is best able to withstand such pressure, namely, at the bottom of the post, where it joins the part 13 of the bridgesure of the finger or thumb on the lever 15 piece. The result is that possibility of bending the post, even under the most severe conditions of use, is practically eliminated; and

this is true even when the post is riveted or screwed into place instead of being integral with the bridge-piece. 1 The various parts of the mounting can be cheaply manufactured by die-pressing or stamping and bending. For example, the lens-holding device can be formed from the sheet-metal blank shown in Fig. 3, by bending the arms 2 1 to form the'straps 11, 11', the arms 25 to form the brac'es 12, 12 and the perforated lug 26 to form the eye 22. L118 device can theii be soldered orrivete'd,

or otherwise fastened, to the end of the up will operate even without the use of the cap screw 23, which is added as an extra" precaution and as a finish to the whole structure. This automatic alineinent is of first importance. The parts can be set up quickly by hand they will not get out "of line while the spring ends are being set, and they will not fall out of line while the retaining screw is being put inplace. It pre-. vents straining or stripping the screw threads, and the operating lever and spring will have no tendency to back out the screw .while the levers are operated, all operating strains are entirely removed from the screw,"

thus insuring speed and facility of assein bling and repairing,'a long and stable hear ing for the lever and a durability and wearing qualities heretofore not available in this type of mounting. In operation the. coil spring presses the guardvl6 inwardtoward the nose. To place the mounting on the nose the'guards are separated by means of the .fingerpiece levers 17. When released the springs drive the guards inward into contact with the nose and hold them in place thereon.

It is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the iconstruction herein specifically illustrated and described, but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claim: g g

1. Lens connecting means, a pivot post arising therefrom having a counter-bore, a

fingerpiece lever having a tubular sleeve surrounding the post, a coiled springsurrounding the sleeve intermediate its ends, having one end anchored onthe lever and one end anchoredon the lens connecting means, and a cap in the counter-bore overhanging the spring. I

2. Lens connecting means, a headless pivot post thereon, a fingerpiece lever having a tubular sleeve surrounding the pivot post, and a coiled spring surrounding the sleeve having one end anchored on the lever and the other end anchored on the lens holding means.

A guard lever having a pivot opening, means surrounding the pivot. opening adapted to hold a coiled spring in alinement therewith, a coiled spring thereon, lens conslidable Within the spring holding means, 20

and detachable caps on the pivot bearings.

4. Lens holding means, a fixed headless tubular post arising therefrom, a fingerpiece lever having a tubular sleeve surrounding the tubular post, a coiled spring surrounding the sleeve having one end anchored on the lever and the other end anchored on the lens holding means, and a cap secured in the top of the tubular post and overhanging'the spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES M. HAYNES. Witnesses:

WILBY G. HYDE, v HAZEL C. HOUGH. 

